Wednesday, September 28, 2011

Snickers Cheesecake

INGREDIENTS:
2/3 cup chocolate graham cracker crumbs (about 5 cookie sheets)
Cooking Spray
2 cups fat-free cottage cheese
1 (8 ounce) tub light cream cheese
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup fat-free sour cream
1/4 cup all purpose flour
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 large eggs
2 large egg whites
1/4 cup fat free caramel sundae syrup, divided
2 (2.07 ounce) chocolate-coated caramel-peanut nougat bars (such as Snickers), chopped and divided

DIRECTIONS:
1.  Preheat oven to 300 degrees.
2.  Sprinkle crumbs into bottom and halfway up the sides of a 9-inch springform pan coated with cooking spray.
3.  Combine cheeses in a food processor; process 2 minutes or until smooth.  Add brown sugar and next 6 ingredients (brown sugar through egg whites); process just until blended.  Pour half of batter into prepared pan.  Drizzle with 2 tablespoons syrup.  bake at 300 degrees for 50 minutes.  Sprinkle with remaining chopped candy bar; bake 10 minutes or until almost set.  Turn oven off; let cheesecake stand for 1 hour in oven with door closed.  Remove cheesecake from oven; cool to room temperature.  Cover and chill at least 8 hours. 

Yeild: 12 servings

Tortillas in a Bag

This ones great for the kids to make!

INGREDIENTS:
1 - qt storage bag
1 1/2 c flour
1 t. baking powder
3 T shortening
1/2 c hot tap water
1/4 t salt (or to taste)

DIRECTIONS:
1.  Place flour, salt and baking powder in a bag,  Close and shake just a few shakes to mix.
2.  Add shortening and reclose the bag.  Work bag with hands until mixture looks crumbly and there are no large pieces of shortening visible.
3.  Open the bag and add the hot tap water.  Knead in the bag until the dough is one large piece and all the sides of the bag come clean.
4.  Take the dough out of the bag and divide into four pieces.  Put the pieces of dough on the table and lay the bag on top of them.  Let the dough rest for 15 minutes.
5.  After resting time, roll or pat the dough into 8-10 inch circles.  If the dough is too sticky, you may add a little more flour.  Place the circles on a griddle frying pan heated to medium or medium high, and cook until dark brown spots appear.  Turn and cook on the other side til brown.
6.  Fill torillas with ground beef, beans, salsa, cheese and lettuce to  make burritos, if desired, or spread with butter or peanut butter.

Tuesday, May 24, 2011

Easy Apple Dumplings - Week 17

Ingredients:
2 tubes Crescent Rolls
4 apples
2 tablespoons butter
1 1/2 cups sugar
8 oz Mountain Dew
1 tsp cinnamon

Directions:
Unroll 2 tubes of crescent roll dough.  Peel and quarter 4 apples and roll one quarter in each crescent roll.  Place close together in a deep baking dish (9x9) or as needed to accommodate the dumplings.  Melt 2 tablespoons of butter; mix with 1 1/2 cups sugar and 1 tsp cinnamon.  Sprinkle over rolls with apples.  Pour 8 oz of Mountain Dew over the rolls.  Bake at 350 degrees at 45 minutes.  Cool slightly before serving.

Sunday, February 6, 2011

Sweet Potato Pie - Week 16

Ingredients: 2 medium sweet potatoes, peeled, boiled and mashed
1 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar
1/2 cup sweetened condensed milk
1/4 cup butter or margarine, melted
2 tbsp flour
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
2 eggs,lightly beaten
1 tsp. vanilla
1 unbaked 9 inch pastry shell
1 1/2 cups thawed cool whip

Directions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Mix sweet potatoes, sugar, milk, butter, flour, spices, eggs, and vanilla in large bowl until blended.

Pour into pastry shell.  (Shell will be quite full; filling will not rise over sides.)

Bake 30 to 35 minutes or until top is puffed and brown.  (Filling will be soft, but will set while cooling.)  Cool on wire rack at least 2 hours.  Serve each slice with 2 tbsps whipped topping.

Tater Tot Casserole - Week 15

Ingredients:
1 bag tater tots
1 lb breakfast sausage, browned and crumbled
12 eggs
2 T. yellow mustard
1 cup milk
2 cups shredded cheddar

Direction:
In a 9x13 pan, cover the bottom with sausage. 
Cover sausage with a layer of frozen tater tots. 
Mix eggs, mustard and milk and pour over tater tots and sausage. 
Top with shredded cheese. 
Refrigerate overnight. 
Bake at 350 for 45 minutes or until center is done,

Peanut Butter Bon-Bons - Week 14

Ingredients:
2 lbs powdered sugar
12 oz creamy peanut butter
3/4 cup butter or margarine - melted
24 oz. semisweet chocolate chips
1/4 lb paraffin wax

Directions:
Mix together powered sugar, peanut butter and butter.
Form into balls.
Refrigerator 1 hour.
Roll into 1" balls.
Melt chocolate chips and wax together in double broiler.
Poke toothpicks into each ball to hold and dip balls into chocolate.
Set on waxed paper to cool.
Best if kept refrigerated.

Mashed Snakes - Week 13

I made these with the meat loaves.

Ingredients:
3 medium potatoes peeled, quartered
2 tablespoons butter or margarine
2 to 3 tablespoons milk
salt to taste
10 drops of green food coloring
6 drops yellow food coloring
4 small pimiento-stuffed olives, sliced
8 pamento slices (from olives)

Directions:
1.  In 2 quart saucepan, place potatoes; add enough water just to cover potatoes.  Heat to boiling, reduce heat.  Cover and simmer 18 to 20 minutes or until tender; drain.  Mash potatoes with potato masher or electric mixer on medium speed.  Add butter and milk.  Stir until light and fluffy.  Add salt.  Stir in food colors.
2.  Place mashed potatoes in gallon-size resealable food-storage plastic bag.  Cut about 1-inch hole in 1 corner of bag.  Pipe "snakes" onto serving plates.  Place 2 olives on one end of snake for eyes.   Cut pimiento in half for snake tongue.  Serve immediately,

Dirty Rat Meat Loaves - Week 13

Made ON Halloween:

Ingredients:
1 1b lean ground beef
1/2 1b bulk Italian pork sausage
1/2 cup Progresso Italian style bread crumbs
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup milk
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 package cream cheese softened
1 egg, beaten
2 cups chunky tomato pasta sauce
green olive slices, heated sweet peas, shoestring potato pieces, sliced almonds and curly fries

Directions:
1.   Heat oven to 350 degrees.  In large bowl, mix beef, sausage, bread crumbs, onion, milk, salt, cream cheese and egg.  Divide into 6 equal portions; shape into 4 inch oval loaves.  Pinch one end of each oval for rat's face.  Place in ungreased 13x9 inch glass baking dish.  Gently pour pasta sauce over and around loaves.
2.  Bake about 40 minutes or until meat thermometer inserted in center of loaf reads 160 degrees.
3.Garnish with green olives and peas for eyes, sliced ripe olives for a nose, shoestring potato pieces for whiskers, sliced almonds for teeth and curly fry for tails.

(Title sounds gross, but the meat loaves are pretty good!)

Mummy Dogs and Bloody Worms - Week 12

Also in honor of Halloween week and making meals fun for the kids!

Mummy Dogs
Ingredients:
1 can (8oz) refrigerated cresent dinner rolls
2 1/2 slices American cheese
10 hot dogs

Directions:
1.  Heat oven to 375 degrees.
2.  Unroll cresent dough into 4 rectangles and cut each lengthwise into 10 pieces.  Cut each slice of cheese into 4 pieces.
3.  Wrap 4 pieces of dough and strip of cheese around each hot dog to llok like bandages, stretching the dough to cover the entire dog.  Half an inch from one end of the dog, seperate "bandages" so the hotdog shows through to form a face.
4.  Place mummy dogs on a baking sheet, facing forward.  Mist lightly with cooking spray.
5.  Bake until dough is light golden brown and hotdogs are heated through, 13 to 17 minutes.  Draw on eyes with mustard.


Bloody Worms
Ingredients:
thinly sliced frozen fries
ketchup

Directions:
1. Bake french fries according to directions.
2.  Cover with ketchup and mix

Meatball Creepy Crawlers- Week 12

So, I realize I have been TERRIBLE at posting a weekly recipe, however, I have been consistant in trying a new one each week.  This will hit you all at once, but I have some catching up to do.  Let the posting begin!

Made this the week of Halloween for the kiddos as a fun dinner.  We used it as an accessory to spaghelli ala philly!

Ingredients:
1 (12 oz) can of Pillsbury Golden Layers refrigerated flaky original biscuits
20 frozen meatballs, thawed
1/4 cup shoestring potatoes or chow mein noodles
sloced olives, pickles and carrots, as desired

Dips, if desired:
1/4 cup ketchup
1/4 cup mustard
1/2 cup cheese dip

Direstions:
1.  Heat oven to 375 degrees.  Spray large cookie sheet with cooking spray, OR cover with cooking parchment paper.
2. Seperate dough into 10 biscuits.  Seperate each biscuit into 2 layers.  Wrap 1 biscuit piece around each meatball; seal.  To make 1 crawler, line up 10 biscuit-wrapped meatballs on cookie sheet, making sure each is touching, to to make a curved line.  Poke shoestring potatoes in both side4s of each ball for legs, at head for antennae and tongue, and end for tail.  Repeat with remaining 10 wrapped meatballs to make second crawler.
3.  Bake 13 to 16 minutes or until golden brown.  Garnish with ollives for eyes and mouth.  Top every other section with layer of sliced pickle, carrot and olive.  In small bowl, mix ketchup and mustard.  Serve crawlers with dips, if desired.

Saturday, October 23, 2010

Cake Balls - Week 11

Ingredients:
1 cake mix
1 can frosting
1 package of meltable candy coating disc

Direction:
1. Prepare cake as directed on box.  Allow to cool completely; crumble cooled cake into a large bowl.
2. Add 2/3 can of your choice flavored icing and mix into cake crumbs.
3.  Roll cake and icing mixture into balls roughly the size of golf balls.  Freeze for 10 minutes.
4.  While cake balls are freezing, begin melting candy coating as directed on package.
5.  Remove balls from freezer and begin dipping in coating until covered.  Allow coating to set up and enjoy!
6.  If you are fortunate enough to have left overs, store these in the refigerator.

Friday, October 22, 2010

Cream Cheese Potato Soup - Week 10

Ingredients:
6 cups water
7 tsp chicken bouillion granules
2 (8 oz each) packages cream cheese, cubed
1 package (30 oz) frozed cubed hashbrown potatoes, thawed
1 1/2 cups cubed fully cooked ham
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp dill weed

Directions:
In a dutch oven, combine water and bouillion.  Add cream cheese;  cook and stir until cheese is melted.  Stir in remaining ingredients.  Bring to a boil.  Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 18-20 minutes, or until vegetables are tender.

Sunday, October 10, 2010

Spaghetti a la Philly - Week 9

Ingredients:
1/2 lb. spaghetti, uncooked
1 lb. extra lean ground beef
1 jar (24 oz) spaghetti sauce
4 oz. (1/2 of 8 oz pkg) cream cheese, cubed
2 tbsp. grated parmesan cheese

Directions:
1.  Cook spaghetti as directed on package.
2.  Meanwhile, brown meat in large skillet: drain.  Return meat to skillet.  Stir in sauce and cream cheese; cook on low heat 3 to 5 min. or until sauce is well blended and heated through, stirring frequently.
3.  Drain spaghetti.  Add to sauce; mix lightly.  Place on platter; top with parmesan.

Squash Casserole - Week 8

Ingredients:
2 cups cooked yellow squash
2 eggs
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 cup shredded cheese
2 cups crushed Ritz crackers
3/4 cup stick butter
1 tsp salt
1 cup chopped onion
1 cup evaporated milk
1 cup grated cheese

Directions:

Cook, drain and mash squash.  Add remaining ingredients, except the last cup of cheese.  Mix well.  Pour into a greased baking dish.  Bake at 375 for 30 minutes.  Top with remaining cheese and continue baking for about 15 minutes more.  Enjoy!

Wednesday, October 6, 2010

Wild Oatmeal Cookies - Week 7

Sorry for the delay in posting!  I've been diligent in trying a new recipe every week, just not so quick at posting.
Ingredients:
3 sticks softened butter or margerine
1 cup packed light brown sugar
1/2 cup sugar
1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 large eggs
2 cups all purpose-flour
4 1/2 cup rolled oats
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp cinnamon
2 cups semisweet chocolate chips (I used peanut butter/white chocolate chips)
1/2 tsp nutmeg

Directions:
1.  Place the butter or margerine in a large mixing bowl.  It's a good idea to do this ahead of time so the butter softens.  When you're ready to start baking, preheat oven to 375.
2.  Beat the butter with an electric mixer util fluffy (about 1 minute).  Then add the sugars and beat for another minute.  Add the eggs and beat for 2 more minutes.
3.  Add the vanilla and stir with a spoon. Mix in flour, baking soda and salt until you can no longer see white.
4.  Stir in rolled oats until well combined.
5.  Add in cinnamon, nutmeg, and chocolate chips.  Stir as well as possible. 
6.Drop by rounded teaspoonfuls onto an ungreased cookie sheet.  Bake for 10-12 minutes or until cookies are browned on the bottom. 
7.  Cool cookies on a wire rack or on a plate for at least 10 minutes before eating.

(Note:  If desired, add the following during step 5: up to 1/2 cup raisins, up to 1/3 cup finely chopped walnuts, up to 1/3 cup dried cranberries, or up tp 1/3 cup dried apricots)

Sunday, September 5, 2010

Peach Cobbler - Week 6

Ingredients:
1 cup flour
1 cup sugar
1 1/2 tspbaking powder
1 stick butter
3/4  to 1 cup milk
1 large can sliced peaches
1 tsp cinnamon
3 tsp sugar

Directions:
Melt butter in a quart casserole dish in 375 degree oven while combining flour, sugar, and baking powder.  Add milk to dry ingredients and stir until blended.
(Method one) Pour batter into the melted butter.  Dribble peach juice into the mixture and add peaches.  Sprinkle top with cinnamon and sugar.  Bake 30 to 40 minutes at 375.
(Method two)  Arrange peaches and juice in melted butter.  Drizzle batter back and forth over peaches.  Sprinkle sugar and cinnamon on top.  Bake 30-40 minutes until golden.
*Serve warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

Zucchini Bread - Week 5

Zucchini Bread

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp bking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1 egg, beaten
1 cup sugar
1 cup finely shredded, unpeeled zucchini
1/4 cup cooking oil
1/2 cup chopped walnuts or pecans

Directions:
1.  Preheat oven to 350.  Grease the bottom and 1/2 inch up the side of an 8x4x2 inch loaf pan; set aside.  In a medium bowl, combine flour, cinnamon, bakig soda, salt, baking powder and nutmeg.  Make a well in center of flour mixture.  Set aside.
2.  In another medium bowl combine sugar, egg, shredded zucchini and oil.  Add zucchini mixture all at once to flour mixture.  Stir just until moistened (batter should be lumpy).  Fold in nuts.  Spoon batter into prepared pan.
3.  Bake for 50 to 55 minutes or until a wooden toothpick inserted near center comes out clean.  Cool in pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes.  Remove from pan. Cool completely on a wire rack.  Wrap and store overnight before slicing.

*Apple bread ~ prepare as above, except substitute 1 1/2 cup finely shredded, peeled apple for the zucchini.

Sunday, August 29, 2010

White Chip Chocolate Cookies - Week 4

A little late posting again, but worth the wait!

Ingredients:
2  1/4 cups all purpose flour
2/3 cup Nestle Toll House Baking Cocoa
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup (2 sticks) butter or margerine, softened
3/4 cup granulated sugar
2/3 cup packed brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 eggs
2 cups Nestle Toll House Premier White Morsels


Directions:
Combine flour, cocoa, baking powder and salt in a small bowl.  Beat butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar and vanilla in a large mixing bowl until creamy.  Beat in eggs.  Gradually beat in flour mix.  Stir in morsels.  Drop by well-rounded teaspoons onto ungreased baking sheets.  Bake in preheated 350 degree oven for 9-11 minuted.  Let stand for 2 minutes.  Remove to wire racks to cool completely.

Thursday, August 12, 2010

Dulce de Leche Turtle Cheesecake - Week 3

This recipe was our own adaptation to the classic cheesecake, and the idea was conceived after finding the Thin Mint Cheese cake recipe.  Again, we bought and froze the Dulce de Leche cookies back in February.  If you don't normally buy cookies, you might want to to try this one...and all my local peeps....why not buy from Aubriana?
Ingredients:



2  boxes Girl Scout Dulce de Leche Cookies, finely chopped
6 teaspoons butter, melted
1 cup chocolate chips
1 cup Kraft premium caramel bits
2 1/2 pounds cream cheese, softened
1 3/4 cups white sugar
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
5 eggs
2 egg yolks
1/4 cup heavy whipping cream
Caramel ice cream topping
Hot fudge ice cream topping
Pecans (chopped)

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 475 degrees. Lightly coat a 10 inch springform pan with spray oil.
2. To make the crust, combine finely chopped Dulce de Leche cookies and melted butter; spread to the edges of the pan, put in freezer to set.
3. In large bowl, combine cream cheese, sugar, flour, eggs, and egg yolks and mix thoroughly. Add cream and mix only enough to blend. Fold in cup of chocolate chips and cup of caramel bits.
4. Pour filling over crust and bake for 10 minutes at 475 degrees. Reduce oven temperature to 200 degrees and continue to bake for 1 hour. Turn oven off, but leave cake in for another hour. Don't worry if it looks a little jiggly in the middle.
5. Chill overnight - this is important Drizzle chocolate and caramel ice cream toppings on top.  Sprinkle with pecans and serve.  Watch your portions....this one is RICH!

Thin Mint Cheesecake - Week 3

This recipe has been tried before in this house, but Aubriana picked it out of our file folder and insisted we make it.  It is incredibly rich and delicious and had to be shared.  On a side note, we were able to make this in the summer because we bought and froze our Girl Scout cookies back in February during cookie season.  It's true what the Girl Scouts say, these cookies really do "freeze beautifully"!

Ingredients:
1 box Girl Scout Thin Mint Cookies, finely chopped
6 teaspoons butter, melted
1/2 box Girl Scout Thin Mint Cookies, coarsley chopped
2 1/2 pounds cream cheese, softened
1 3/4 cups white sugar
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
5 eggs
2 egg yolks
1/4 cup heavy whipping cream
whipped cream, if desired

Directions:
1.  Preheat oven to 475 degrees.  Lightly coat a 10 inch springform pan with spray oil.
2.  To make the crust, combine finely chopped Thin Mints cookies and melted butter; spread to the edges of the pan, put in freezer to set.
3.  In large bowl, combine cream cheese, sugar, flour, eggs, and egg yolks and mix thoroughly.  Add cream and mix only enough to blend.  Fold in coarsely chopped Thin Mint cookies.
4.  Pour filling over crust and bake for 10 minutes at 475 degrees.  Reduce oven temperature to 200 degrees and continue to bake for 1 hour.  Turn oven off, but leave cake in for another hour.  Don't worry if it looks a little jiggly in the middle.
4.  Chill overnight - this is important (and torturous!)  Top with whipped cream, if desired.